Vehicle suspension



y 1929. A. AGRAMQNTE 1,712,063

VEHICLE SUSPENSION Filed July 16, 1927 Patented May 7, 1929.

3 UNITED I ST 51 ALBER AGRAMONTE,

PATENTOFFICE;

orcii vraeuny, CUBA. v j t VEHICLE SUSPENSION. 1

Application filed July 16,

The present invention relates to improvements in vehicle suspensions, andmore particularly applies to suspensions oi'xa type wherein'the driving effort is applied at a Figure l is a sideelevation of a cart,

with the wheels broken away to show the suspension system of the presenttype.

Fig. 2 is aplan View of oneside of this cart' with its associated wheel and mecha-. nismQ Y Fig. 3 is a sectional view substantially .on

- 20hasa large CGIllQI'ELlpOItlOllfWlth succesline 3-3 of Fig. 2. a i

The suspension system relates to the supporting of a load receiving body upon; a

\ wheel or wheels, and isapplicablep'to wheels barrows, to wheel carts or tricycle carts, and to vehicles having I four or more wheels, whether propelled y handor other external energy or as trailers or driven a self-conr tained source of powerg The system comprises briefly a rocking system which is fulcrumed from a depending bracket enthe, wheel axle and has; the load receiving body, pivoted at itsoscillating upper? end. This system is provided with}; contact rollers which engage with the inner surface ofa drunion the wheel at the end of the 0scilla-; tion, and by couples of forcesproduce a rela tive downward thrust upon the wheel at the point ofsuch engagement, when the vehicle is being moved, whereby the movement] ofv the vehicle audits wheels is tacilitated The rocking system may beof any appropriate type rigidor elastic and willbe illus} tratedas being rigid, i. e.,the rolls are not resiliently supported I I i l In the formot execution illustrated in F 1 to 3, atwo-wheeled cart is shown with vehicle wheels 10 each having the tread surface 11 and a drum 12 with a cylindrical internal surfaceplocated onthe side otythe wheel adjacent the vehicle body. In the former Figs l, to 3, this'surface hasinternal teeth 13. The wheel is mounted. upon the end of the axle 14 for looseflrotation 1927. Serial-No. 206,249.

thereon. Th s axle has frigid and integral downwardly extending bracket F15 ateach end, although for simplicity; but oneiend has,

been illustrated ingFig. 3. A hubnut 16 or the like is providedto secure the wheel 10 in permanent positioniat the'end ofthe axle. The;rocking-plates175 17 are pivotally: mounted on a projecting bolt,18 of the bracket 15, the-axisof this-bolt being located.

at all times beneath the axis oft-lie axleil l.

The plates 17, 17? extend upwardly and have, arcuate slots l9-concentric with the pivotl8; whereby the plates-are enabled to fit over the end of the axle 1 1 and which servezto idly for simultaneous movement. The belt sivelyreduced ends, so that successive sh0ul-,

ders are formed to support and spaceapart,

the plates 17, 17 each side ofthe cart: the s 1 nuts 20, 20 being provided toihold tllGjiLS-f sembly, together. q.

, The rocking plate 17 is: made of lesser width than the diametergof the internalsurface of the druin l2, and is mountedwithin the drum (Fig. 1). Ithas freely journaled i at its sides the rollers 23, 24; which alternately come into; contact with i this ,cyl indri cal internal surface of thedrunr 12 during therockingot the plate, and forisuchzpurpose they are shownyas providcdgwith teeth whichimesh with theteeth l ottheedrum 12!. I Y

, The pivoting vclips 25 are mQlintedsto swingwith; respect to the bolt 20, andhave the U-bolts 26 tosecure the lower portionof the elliptical springs 27. H The upper, por

tionsoi? these springs are fixedto the bottom of .thecart body 21 as by bolts 28.1 The cart is provided with [tilled] andles 29 I for vpushing P or pulling it.

1 It will be understood that the relative diameter of the; wheel 10 and of the.

drum 121 has1 been exaggerated in the illus-i tration, for greater clearness: and thatordi; narily the drum will .beirelatively much smaller, and" the yrooking system including the rocking plate 17 willm'ove throughs nall angles past, either side of the vertical. i v The method of operationof the suspension is as follows: When the cart is at its standstill the body and its elements are located in one end position or the other of the rocking plates 17 17 with respect to the vert cal axial plane a-a of the axle 14 of the vehicle. The plane passing through the bolts 18 and the spacing bolt 20 therefore may be in either position represented by b or 0 on Fig. 1, itbeing understood that this position has been exaggerated on the drawing for greater clearness. When the body 21 is pushed by the handles 29, the body through the elliptical springs 27 exerts a thrust directly forward on the pivot bolt 20, and thence against the rocking plates 17, 17 by which the rollers 24 are brought into engagement with the inner surface of the drum 12, if not al ready there. The rocking plates 17, 17 being pivoted at 18, a couple of forces is produced which results in a downward and forward thrust upon the drum 12 at the point of contact of the roller 24, with resultants forwardly in the direction of movement of; the vehicle and downwardly from this point of contact. 1 This downward movement against the drum 12 is communicated thereby to the wheel 10, and since it is in a plane forwardly of the vertical plane a-a through the vehicle axle 14, a force is brought to bear upon the wheel to assist it in its forward movement. The bracket 15 may rock slightly rearwardly: but owing to the relative separations of the axle 14 and of the bolt 20 from the axis of bolt 18, this movement is relatively small, and can be substantially calculated.-

The thrust at the handles 29 is thus transmitted through the body and spring to the rocking plates and thence to the wheels and thus produce the forward movement of the vehicle. 7

When the vehicle is in motion and it is desired to stop it, the handles 29 are pulled backwardly until the rocking plates 17, 17 are dragged from their forward position represented by b into their rearward position represented by 0, and now the rollers 23 are in contact with the inner surface of the drum 12, and a downward movement is exerted upon this drum in a planeagain removed from the vertical plane wai, but this time to the rear of it, by which'the weight of the body and its contents are caused to assist the checking or braking the forward movement: and the vehicle is brought to a standstill.

If it be desired to pull the vehicle by the handles 29, the action is substantially the same, but in this case the movement is produced by the rollers 23 acting upon the inner surface of the drum 12: and the braking is produced by the rollers'24 acting upon this drum.

The several rocking plates 17,173 and the bolt 20 form a rigid assembly which is pivoted at each side of the vehicle on a bolt 18. This assembly therefore rocks relatively to the axle 14 in such manner that the bolt 20 at all times remains parallel to this axle. The clips 25 are located adjacent the rocking plates 17 a at each side of the vehicle,

and the elliptical springs 27 are self-aligning and are secured to the body 21. The body is therefore supported against weaving or rocking from side to side with respect to a given point on the axle 14.

It will be understood that while the illustrative form describes the application of the invention to a hand cart having two wheels, one at each side, and in connection with a spring mounting and rigid rocking plates which have lateral stability to support the body with respect'to the axle 14, the invention is not limited solely to such illustrative employment, but may be modified in many ways within the scope of the appended claims.

WVhat is claimed as new is: r v

1. In a suspension system for a vehicle having a body anda wheel, a transverse axle on which said wheel is rotatable, a depending bracket on said axle, a rocking plate pivoted to said bracket and to said body, a drum on said wheel, and a roller pivoted on said rocking plate and adapted to be brought into contact with said drums by a rocking of said plate with respectto said body and Wheel.

2. In a suspension system for 'avehicle having a body and wheels, a transverse axle on which said wheels are rotatable, depending brackets on said axle, rocking plates pivoted to said brackets and to said body, said plates having slots therein to receive said axle and to limit the relative movement between said plates and axle, a drum on each of said wheels, and a roller pivoted on said rocking plates and brought into contact with said drums by a rockingof said plate with respect to said body and wheels.

3. In a suspension-for a vehicle having a body and a Wheel presenting an external tread surface and a cylindrical internal surface, an axle for said wheel supported thereby, a depending bracket carried on said axle, a rocking plate pivoted to said bracket at a point below said axle, a pivot connection between said rocking plate and said body whereby said rocking plate may move about said bracket pivot as the body moves relative to said wheel, and a roller journa-led on said plate and moved therewith during such rockifng intoengagement with said internal surace.

4. In a vehicle, a wheel presenting a tread surface and a cylindrical internal surface, an axle for said wheel and supported thereby at an invariable distance from the roadway, a'bracket suspended from said axle, a rocking plate pivoted to said bracket at a point below said axle, said plate having a slot therein to accommodate said axle and permit rocking of said plate, rollers journalled on,

tion, a vehicle body and a pivotal connection between the upper end of said plate and said body whereby the plate is rocked upon a movement of the body in the desired direction.

5. In a suspension system for a vehicle having a body and wheels, an axle on which said wheels are rotatable, depending brackets on said axle near each end thereof, a rocking system including spaced pairs of rocker plates at the sides of the vehicle, saidrocker plates oi each pair being located at respective sides of the respective brackets, pivots at the lower ends of said brackets to support said rocker plates, a, transverse member consaid transverse member.

6. In a suspension system for a vehicle having a body and a wheel, an axle on which saidwheel is rotatable, a depending bracket on said axle, a rocking plate pivoted to the said bracket below said axle, an elliptical spring pivoted at one bow to said rocking plate, and means to hold said spring by its other bow rigidly to said body.

7. In a suspension system for a vehicle having a body and a road wheel, an axle for said wheel, a drum fixed'on'said wheel, and

means for controlling the rotation oi the cruined rockably from said axle about a pivot parallel to and below the w'heelaxis and engaging with said drum at the ends'of its rocking movements, so that upon move- -mentof the body relative to the wheel in either direction the said device rocks to apply a downward thrust to said drum at a point removed horizontally relative tosaid axis in the direction of the movement of the body, whereby the vehicle is set in movement it at a standstill or braked it moving in the opposite direction.

in testimony whereof, I aifix my signature.

ALBERT AGRAMONTE. 

